feel the shock was not good advice.
meter should be used!
Do note if PEX or other non metallic pipes are use the power could originate from a neighbor.
so the first step is turn off all power and check for voltage ........
I have a bell ringer in the garage, and an old ringer wall phone in the kitchen. Both work off my comcast box. I also have several other electronic phones. One table phone will ring without wall wart plugged in.
Greg
I believe I have what you refer to as "bell type ringer" in my shop. It's an old slimline wall phone...
It's connected to my TWC router and rings quite nicely...well, it would if I turned the ringer on. Now it just clicks quietly since I have the ringer turned down as low as possible.
Yes, it sure could have! From what I've been reading about the problem on various websites, the shower scenario is typically the most lethal one. The supply pipes, for whatever reason (and there are many possible ones) become ungrounded and energized while the drain pipe for the shower still makes a good ground. Your naked and wet body makes the circuit complete. OUCH!
There are many possible causes and the water meter bypass is but one of them. Older houses are more susceptible to the problem because of the laxity of the older electrical codes and the possibility that any number of previous occupants have done something stupid.
Fred, if you're reading this, unless you consider yourself very knowledgeable about electricity, I would defer to a professional at this point. While I like to encourage people in AHR to expand their horizons and tackle tough jobs, this is one that is too risky to try to solve on your own. I would watch what a professional does and ask lots of questions, though, so I might be better prepared to deal with a similar occurrence in the future. I bought a house that had been modified by a very amatuer electrician and the surprises kept coming for years and years. )-;
There are so many possible causes it's time for a pro and maybe even an alert to the power and water companies. The risk there is that if the power people find a serious enough fault, they will disconnect your service.
I suspect an electrician might also recommend either GFCI breakers or outlets to cover any of the areas that are exhibiting shock problems. If it were my house, that's what I would do (and did) although I learned the hard way that I needed to run a separate, non-GFCI protected line to the refrigerator. DAMHIKT. (-:
Definitely not. You've got a serious issue and the shower could very likely kill you since the supply pipe seems to be hot and the drain pipe is likely still a very good ground. If you can't get a "sparky" out sooner than Wednesday I would suggest calling the power company just to see what they would recommend although there's a risk that if they send someone out, they'll cut your power off until you can prove it's repaired.
Time to call the pros. What else were you touching when you touched the shut-off valve? To feel a shock, the current has to be flowing from the valve, through your body to somewhere else to complete the circuit.
Not sure if that's going to work if the ground is energized. There's also the problem of phantom voltage readings if he's using a digital meter that might make the readings meaningless. I've been researching this problem on the net out of curiousity and there are lots and lots of potential causes. So many that it's a problem best left to a licensed professional.
The copper supply piping may have once been connected to a ground but a repair with a plastic union of some sort has isolated a section of the pipe which is touching something electrical and is now energized. Since there are so many possibilities, it's time for Fred, the OP, to call in the cavalry now that we know it's not a simple static shock.
I agree that the OP should be tracing the pipes *visually* to locate possible contact points, clamps with wires leading from them and places where there might be a plastic union, but it's a serious enough problem to defer to an electrician that has experience with such issues.
I suspect that's going to be part of the solution a qualified sparky will recommend. Something's rotten in Denmark, and it could be more than one problem which makes it really hard for a homeowner to isolate and fix. I say Fred's exceptionally lucky he detected this problem before he stepped into what might have been his last shower on Earth. (-:
After some thought, I suspect the OP has a bad neutral some where (maybe in the panel box where it's easier to find). An appliance some where in the house is neutral through the water line instead of through the white wire.
Not very likely IMO. Just because his house has screwed up wiring, doesn't mean the neighbor's house does.
It could present a
Now you're off in true lala land. Since when is it no longer code to have those things grounded? In fact they all are supposed to be grounded. Good grief. And to add to the foolishness, what purpose is it going to serve for Fred to go looking for anything when he obviously doesn't have the skills to diagnose this serious problem?
The breaker would only trip if:
A - It's a GFCI breaker or B - The fault current flowing exceeded the breaker rating.
More nonsense. Put in GFCI breakers and they will just trip. As others have pointed out, the source of how the pipes are getting energized needs to be found and the pipes need to be properly grounded.
Did you live there previously?
Good grief. If he was very knowledgeable about electricity he wouldn't be here asking the questions he's asked.
Buzzed piping is drunk piping. Electrons will see you before you see them. It's not worth it. You could lose your electrical license, and the fines are extreme.
i can feel 120VAC when touching a live conductor even while wearing insulated boots. And no, that is not something that I recommend that you do intentionally.
nate
Good point; I didn't think of that as it's been 30 years or more since I lived in a house with a water meter actually indoors - but if you do have that kind of setup definitely there should be a jumper across it.
Next thing to check for is a heavy bonding wire between the same area and the main electrical panel. (was the main feed from the city water line originally copper or galvanized but recently replaced with PVC?)
nate
I have actually seen people do that...
I always wanted to ask what they'd do if they actually found a leak.
Somehow soapy water seems like a better idea to me, but what do I know.
nate
I'm guessing that it was only the basement because that's the only faucet with metal handles in the house. Then he noticed it on a toilet shutoff valve, older models of which also would have metal handles. You'd think the kitchen faucet would as well, but some of them have "chrome" plated plastic handles including some better brands.
I second the recommendation to just not touch the piping until the problem is isolated. If OP has to take a shower I would check for voltage on pipe with voltmeter and then turn off main breaker and verify that issue has gone away. Yeah, you'll be taking a shower in the dark, but it beats the heck out of being found electrified in a shower stall.
As others have said, CHECK with voltmeter or test light though. It is unlikely but still theoretically possible that the problem may be originating outside the house, or prior to the main breaker (which can be really dangerous.)
nate
Yes, I have an old wall mount Western Electric phone (late 40's) in the kitchen, was pleased to find that it does in fact work on the fake POTS line that comes out of the FiOS box :)
It also scares the hell out of the cat when the phone rings (unlike the little Panasonic cordless phones elsewhere in the house) which I think is amusing.
nate
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